ELF cosmetics review

This post was written on August 16, 2008. It's an old review on some Eyes Lips Face products I purchased. I figured I might as well post it up here, since it's worthwhile information. Put simply: YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!!! (this is not a good thing) Michelle's review over at http://www.xanga.com/ricebunny also has some not-so-great info about ELF's products; be sure to check that out too.

POST/

So, I just received my order from ELF. I ordered it on 7/29/08. How's that for slow shipping? You do the math. Anyway, these are the products I ordered.

Here's how I rated them, based on their performance:

* - YUCK.

** - Bearable.

*** - What I expected.

**** - It's pretty good.

***** - The best as it gets.

As you can see, none of them received 5 stars.

CANDY SHOP LIP GLOSS TIN
RATING: *

I ordered this in Frosting Fanatic, but for whatever reason, I also received 2 OTHER candy shop lip gloss tins (Candy Fix and Mocha Maniac, incase you were wondering) in place of my free gift, which was supposed to be the Lip Gloss Cell Phone Charm Duo. I emailed them about that, we'll see if I get it free, ha :P Anyway, Idk if it was because the gloss melted during transit or what, but the casing was really sticky when I received it. I had to wipe it clean, and it is still kind of sticky D: Also, they all smell relatively the same. Like the Mocha one, which smells kind of weird anyway. I'm not sure if that's because they just absorbed that smell, but they all basically smell like that. The only difference is in color, which doesn't really matter on your lips anyway. It is VERY sticky, but the shimmer is not bad... BUT the STICKINESS kind of overwhelms it.

THERAPEUTIC CONDITIONING BALM
RATING: ***

It is really cute looking, as are the rest of the products, but once I opened the packaging, I realized the actual product is rather flimsy. It doesn't smell bad (I guess it smells like it is supposed to; strawberry creme) and it isn't sticky. It is VERY soft and smooth. I guess I would describe when applying it, it feels like what you'd expect it to feel like if you made lipgloss out of crisco and koolaid (yes, I was going to try that). So it feels kind of odd when you apply it, but other than that, it is okay. It seems to moisturize okay and provides a little shine. It is supposedly infused with Vitamin A and E and Shea butter.

ALL OVER COLOR STICK
RATING: **

Yes, it's cute and small and plastic. The color was sort of darker than I expected it (lilac petal), but then again, product pictures have better lighting. It applies okay... it's slightly sticky WHEN YOU APPLY IT, but not unbearable. I only applied it to my cheeks though. The color on skin is not bad, it comes off slightly "dark", but the shimmer and color is there, creating a dewy, glowy look. It smells nice and citrus-y.

SHIMMERING FACIAL WHIP
RATING: ***

Similar to the all over color stick, but brighter. Also lilac petal. It gives more shine and shimmer, but also feels a little more sticky AFTER IT HAS BEEN APPLIED, but feels easier to blend. It is also not unbearably sticky. I like the way the color turned out on skin, just not the texture so much. It's kind of weird to rest your face on your hand and end up with sticky fingers after :P It smells the same I guess.

SHINE ERASER
RATING: ****

This works about as well as I'd expect it to, I guess. It includes green tea extract. Idk if it was my wishful thinking, or if it really worked, but I guess it "mattefied" my skin a LITTLE. It did pick up some oil (it's hard to tell since I usually don't have that much) and reduced what little shine I had. Not bad. I liked the packaging the best.

LIP GLOSS CELL PHONE CHARM DUO

Where is it?

This was what I was supposed to get as my free gift. No doubt it is also sticky, smelly, and flimsy :P I doubt they will even send it to me, let alone reply to my email.

SO ALL IN ALL, you really do get what you pay for. You definately CANNOT beat $1 for each item. Shipping and quality control IS pretty bad. I did not get the free items I was supposed to get. So it was not a waste, rather, a learning experience I wanted to try. I'd have to say, the only products I am somewhat satisfied with is the shine eraser and conditioning balm. I know I said the stickiness of the other products is NOT unbearable, but I meant that I think other people would not consider it unbearable. I myself HATE sticky lip gloss and cosmetics. But I will still use these I suppose, since they were not HORRIBLE. Well, I need to go clean my keyboard now. It is covered in stickiness and shimmer. /ENDPOST

Anyway, I'd have to add that I haven't touched any of these products much since I wrote this. I also haven't gotten my free gift. I just can't tolerate makeup at THIS low quality for very long. I know I'm into drugstore chic, but this is just too far :P It also doesn't help that the products are made in China. Some people love this stuff, but the only good things I really can say about ELF is that they are cruelty-free and only cost $1 for each product.